Fiery Fuses and Confidant Cows
by Loopstagirl
Summary: Fixing fuses should have been easy. Then again, things were never easy with a Tracy. Household chores were never complete without a little teasing and a heart to heart on the side. And of course, apple pie.


_Disclaimer: I own nothing, all rights belong to their respective owners._

_Another episode, another story. This one based on Operation Crash-Drive. Hope you like._

* * *

Scott leant against the wall, his arms folded across his chest and an amused smirk on his face as he watched Gordon. It was going to be a long time before they let him live this one down.

"_Like fixing a fuse,"_ Gordon had claimed.

Scott knew watching him now Gordon had somehow never fixed a fuse in his life. He never would have thought his brother would be better at holding two sparking pieces of wiring against each other compared to adjusting a few small things in their own home.

But despite Gordon successfully managing to get the Fireflash to not crash, the house was still in darkness. Scott knew John was itching to step in and sort it out. With most of his time spent up on Five, John was certainly adept at sorting out a few faulty wires; he had to be to survive up there. But it also meant he wasn't given the chance to do much to help around the house. But Virgil was somehow keeping him away for now while Gordon worked.

They were all having far too much fun watching their brother struggle.

"You just need to-,"

"I know." Gordon snapped through Scott's attempts to help, his forehead burrowed in concentration as he stared at the lose wiring in front of him and tried to work out what he needed to do.

"Gords, it's not that much of a big deal, you know," Scott said softly, stepping slightly closer. Gordon was letting it get to him he didn't instantly know what to do, and somehow his big brother knew this was more than just about the fuse. Gordon glanced at him before studying the box again.

"I thought I was going to get you killed for not being able to fix that wire in time," he muttered softly and Scott took another step forward. He knew there was more going on than Gordon was admitting to. The man had been quiet ever since they had returned and Scott had just been waiting for the chance to talk to him alone.

After all, it wasn't every day he heard a gunfight happening behind him, knowing one of his brothers was in danger and not being able to do a thing about it.

"You did though. You would have died as well if that plane had gone down, it wasn't just me."

"Yeah, but it wouldn't have been your fault."

"It wasn't yours, either. Some crazy person was on board determined to sabotage it. We should have seen something like that coming."

"Really?"

"Well, no," Scott admitted, knowing what Gordon was getting at. "But it was the Fireflash. Did you really think everything was going to go neatly according to plan with that accursed craft? And to think that Tin-Tin still thinks it is a good plane."

"That's why everyone should travel by sea," Gordon said smugly, moving a wire as he did so. Scott knew his warning wouldn't come in time and he instead just winced as the box instantly sparked and Gordon jumped back with a curse. Knowing there would be no apple pie if the power didn't hurry up and come back on, Scott gently nudged Gordon out of the way and quickly reconnected the lose wiring. The lights flared back into life and he heard Virgil curse as the television suddenly blazing on made him jump.

The door opened.

"The kid finally did it then?" Virgil entered, sounding amused. Scott glanced at Gordon and subtly stepped back.

"Yep. He can handle a plane, Virg, have more faith that he can handle a fuse." Scott made to leave, but he found Virgil was suddenly standing in his path. Out of the corner of his eye, Scott could see Gordon beginning to smirk and something told him this was a set-up of sorts. He should have known that his brothers would have been talking on their way home, it would have been the only thing that would help keep Gordon calm after what he had done just done. Scott knew how on edge he had been, let alone Gordon.

After all, at least he had the safety of the control deck of the plane to shield him from the impact with the water. Gordon had been surrounded by electrics with an open hatch below. He wouldn't have stood a chance if they had hit the sea. No doubt shaken up, Virgil would have kept his brother distracted.

Now, Scott was beginning to feel that he was about to pay the price of that distraction.

"Do you miss Kansas, Scott?" Virgil asked innocently, but Scott frowned. If it had been a serious question, this was neither the time nor place to be discussing it.

"Why?"

"The fields, the house, the garden, the farm…"

"Virg, what?"

"Do you know what I think," Gordon interrupted. When Scott turned to look at him, his eyes were gleaming. "I think the old saying is true."

"Of course, you are completely right, Gordon. Why didn't we think of it before?"

"What?" Scott demanded, folding his arms across his chest and trying to move so he could fix both brothers with a look that normally made them talk. Somehow, however, they had stayed just far enough apart that Scott knew he couldn't go for the affect he was after. Sometimes he hated how well they all knew each other. While it meant he knew how to get them to talk, it also meant they knew how he would accomplish that and could avoid him.

"It's sweet, really," Gordon continued, a glint in his eye. Scott would have been relieved to see him looking more like himself if he wasn't the one that seemed to be the target.

"What?" Scott said again, not having a clue what they were talking about."

"You can take the farmboy out of the farm but you can't take the farm out of the farmboy."

"_Excuse me?"_

Virgil smirked as he made sure the door was shut behind him. Scott supposed that was something; it would mean whatever they were about to do next would be restricted to just the three of them. The fact it was Virgil involved meant Scott knew it wouldn't go too far – Virgil wouldn't let Gordon get carried away. It wasn't as if it had been an easy rescue for him; having to simply pace the crashing Fireflash and knowing two of his brothers as well as a civilian could be needing his help. If they had crashed, Virgil would have had to pull off the rescue on his own, for no one was quite sure how Brains would react. He had been in the field before, but never having to handle the equipment he designed.

"We heard you, Scott."

"Everything."

"Every word you said…"

"…all those secrets you gave away."

The two brothers began cornering him and Scott felt his heart skipping a beat, wondering what they were talking about. Gordon suddenly grinned.

"I thought he always told us that he had all those skills with ladies. She didn't even say anything back."

"Maybe he couldn't win her heart?"

"That's likely, I mean, who would want him?"

"Not even a cow," Virgil finished triumphantly and Scott felt a flush beginning to work his way up his neck. He knew precisely what they were talking about now.

The farmer had left him to it eventually while Gordon had been trying to get the plane to surface. His frustration at not having been able to detect it with his instruments and once again having to just sit on the side lines and watch as Virgil shot for the sky and Gordon dived seconds before the plane had gone up in flames had made him exclaim things that he normally kept inside if there were civilians around.

But he hadn't been precisely alone. Scott had found himself telling the cow everything he was feeling, quite glad to have such an avid listener.

It seemed, however, that he had managed to leave the channels open between the Thunderbirds and Mobile Control and that his brothers had somehow heard everything.

"Well, I bet she wouldn't have let you guys milk her," he said defensively, trying to cool his blush. By the time the farmer had arrived, Scott had stood up and had been stroking her nose as a way of calming himself down. Apparently she didn't often like strangers and as he had helped out by letting the use of his barn, the farmer had decided it was only fair that Scott repay the favour and help with a few chores.

He might have never milked a cow before then, but it had brought back a sense of his childhood at helping out. Luckily, Scott had folded away his machinery by then, for he knew he would never live it down if Gordon and Virgil had heard him admitting to the farmer that he was enjoying it and sometimes wished for a simple life.

It would never be a thought he would act on, he knew he would get bored in days. But it would be nice to occasionally have a week when he didn't experience the heart-stopping terror of thinking he was about to lose one or more of his brothers.

"Oh look, Virg. He's getting _moo_dy," Gordon quipped, his eyes dancing in delight at finally having something to be able to hold over his older brother.

"Well, at least we know he is no _cow_ard."

"Alright, enough already," Scott grumbled, pushing his way past Virgil to escape the confines of the small room the three of them were crowded in. He moved back to the room and threw himself down into a seat next to John. His brother simply looked at him and Scott knew in that instant John knew everything as well.

"Don't," the oldest brother warned. "Just don't."

"As if I would," John replied, but Scott knew that innocent look was just his way of covering up the fact that he was clearly thinking up all the different ways he could use this against his brother when Scott least expected it.

Virgil came through to join them and for a second, Scott tensed. But his brother just smiled and shook his head slightly. The moment had passed. Scott relaxed and found himself looking at Virgil critically.

"Are you okay?" Beside him, John instantly stiffened, his head swivelling so he could also look at Virgil. Scott smiled himself. It was nice having John home. It meant that he didn't have to worry about his younger brothers on his own. And didn't have to think about whether enough contact had been made to John.

It just made everything so much easier.

"I'm fine."

"Virg…"

"Honestly, Scott, I'm fine. The usual with a rescue like that and potentially watching two of my brothers in an uncontrolled dive to their deaths, but hey, I'm getting used to it."

Scott didn't know what to say. It had been bad enough for him knowing Gordon was on board. Virgil had known all of them were on board. But the truly worrying thing was that Virgil was right. They were getting used to dealing with near death experiences.

Scott was sure that wasn't healthy.

"Just promise me one thing," Virgil continued and Scott frowned quizzically. Virgil looked serious.

"Next time they decide to test the Fireflash, even if it is number thirty, we have absolutely nothing to do with that plane?"

Feeling the tension leave him, Scott let out a laugh even as he promised. To his delight, Virgil's face also softened and it didn't take long for John and Virgil to also join in the laughter.

Sometimes, Scott had to wonder whether people just deliberately made things go wrong in order to keep them alert. Then he shuddered and decided he really didn't like that train of thought.

He stood up.

"Where are you going?" John asked but Scott only grinned in response and headed out of the room.

"Where do you think?" he heard Virgil say once he had left. "Grandma said something about apple pie."


End file.
